On October 8th, the Schwarzenegger Institute once again partnered with Outside the Box [Office] and SEEFest to host a special theatrical screening of Libertate (Freedom). The film is set during the chaotic days of the December 1989 revolution that toppled Romania’s Communist regime. In the city of Sibiu, a violent assault on a police unit escalates into a bloody confrontation between soldiers, police, protesters, and the secret police. Police Captain Viorel, trying to escape the siege, is captured by the army and imprisoned in an empty swimming pool with hundreds of others accused of being terrorists.
Following the screening, Schwarzenegger Institute Academic Director Christian Grose and Documentary Editor for Deadline Matthew Carey sat down to discuss the film with Vera Mijojlic of SEEfest. During their conversation, Grose, Carey, and Mijojlic discussed the film’s commentary on democracy and transitions in the period following the 1989 Romanian revolution. The discussion quickly turned to the state of democracy in the United States, and how democracy can be strengthened in the U.S. and what Americans can learn from the experience of Europe and other countries. Panelists talked about the importance of the Schwarzenegger Institute’s research on democracy and the importance of journalism in providing accurate and critical information to voters.